The Untold Chapters of Breaking Dawn
by BrynAlyssia
Summary: What happened to Bella after she called Rosalie in Breaking Dawn? This is a continuation of Breaking Dawn picking up after chapter seven in Bella's point of view. Inspired by hints left in Breaking Dawn and my own speculation, I hope you enjoy my theories. Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended. Reviews and comments welcome!
1. Chapter 1

"What can I do for you Bella?" I could hear her confusion and reservation.

"Rose I'm...I'm pregnant. Edward doesn't know I'm calling you, he's taking the luggage out to the boat, and he left his phone. He's taking me home to have Carlisle perform an abortion. Please help me stop him. Meet me at the airport please?"

Rosalie was silent for several seconds, before promising, "I'll be there Bella".

"Thank you!"I whispered, stuffing the phone into my pocket and walking into the bathroom. I looked at my panicked expression in the mirror, and felt it curling in my stomach. Would this work? I hadn't thought this through. Edward could be angry when he found out. I didn't want to hurt him any more. But what choice did I have? My husband was incredibly capable, with a large support system, but my little nudger...I was all he had. Well, and now Rosalie. Would we be enough?

I turned the cold water on, and splashed it in my face, drying myself with a towel in gentle, soothing stokes afterwards. Figuring this mess out wasn't something I could do all at once. I needed to handle this in steps. And the first step was getting to Rosalie without letting Edward realize what I was doing. I glanced again at my frenzied expression. I wouldn't be able to pull myself together on my own anytime soon, but maybe I could distract myself. Yes, that was it. I would find a movie to watch that was intense enough to refocus my attention for several hours. Edward's gentle hands rested on my shoulders, and he kissed my hair.

"Are you feeling sick again?" The pain in his voice was so raw, I couldn't bear to hear it. I twisted around and pulled him into a hug, wishing I could love the pain away. He crushed me gently to him, and when I pulled back I met his gaze unwaveringly with newfound resolve.

"Edward Cullen, you are my husband, and I love you with every particle of my being. Don't you ever forget that. Not in the future, and not now while we get through this." I pressed my lips to his, wrapping my arms around his neck, breathing in his refreshing scent. He kissed me back softly, completely in control, and then pulled back himself, giving me a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" I glanced out the bathroom window towards the beautiful island, and sighed.

"I absolutely loved Isle Esme, and I'd love to stay longer. But under the circumstances, yes, I'm ready to go home." He picked me up, and I laid my head against his chest contentedly, as we headed out to the boat. He stopped in the kitchen, a confused burrow appearing on his brow.

"Did you pick my phone up?"

"Yes, it's in my pocket." The furrow disappeared, and we continued out to the boat. He set me down in the passenger seat, fastening my seat belt, and settled into the drivers side.

"I'm very sorry if this makes you nauseous. Tell me if you want me to go slower." He pulled out into the water, and I peeked around to watch Isle Esme shrink smaller as it became more distant. Edward took my hand, and I turned back around, collapsing against the seat. Mercifully, the boat wasn't triggering my morning sickness so far. I was feeling calmer now, so perhaps the movie wouldn't be necessary after all.

"When we get to the main land, do you want me to get you anything at the store for the plane ride? Carlisle will have anti-nausea medications for you when we get home, but we can try some home remedies in the meantime if you like. Ginger ale, suck candy, and so forth."

"I think I'll be okay until we get back, but thank you. It's very considerate." Edward nodded curtly.

"Tell me right away if it starts hurting you," he added urgently. I nodded to myself, wondering if that would be wise before I got to Rosalie. I watched the water fly past us, the sun sparkling off the water, and tried to soak in the beauty of the moment.

"Have you ever had a gynecology exam?" Edward's voice was kind, but I blushed scarlet, and eyed him wearily.

"No, never," I mumbled.

"Carlisle will explain all the exams and procedures when we get back. He won't start anything until he's answered all your questions and you feel comfortable moving forward. Nobody's going to judge you, so don't be afraid to ask him anything that you want to know. We'll make sure you feel as little pain as possible. I know thinking about going through this process must be terrifying, and I'm so sorry you have to deal with this, but I promise, we're going to take very good care of you. You don't have to be afraid." His words rang with sincerity, and he squeezed my hand reassuringly.

I had no doubts that Edward would do everything he could to keep me comfortable. It was only my baby I was concerned about. I squeezed his hand back, and closed my eyes, wishing Edward could see how precious and beautiful the little miracle inside of me was.

The plane ride went smoothly, and I was able to sleep through the flight so that I felt rested when we got off. Edward kept his arm around my waist, as we collected our things and walked to where our family was waiting for us. Esme, Rosalie, Carlisle and Jasper were standing together with welcoming smiles, but Rosalie's stood out, being simply radiant. I smiled and ran towards her with an exclamation of excitement into her open arms.

"Congratulations Bella!" Her beautiful voice welled with emotion, and I took her hands in mine, knowing how much it would mean to her if my baby survived.

"Thank you!" I said fervently, hoping she understood how much meaning was in my words.

"Of course," she replied lightly. "Alice and I have a mini-spa set up for you in Edward's bedroom if that's something you'd like to do when we get back home."

"That sounds great," I assured her. She reached into the large purse she was carrying, and produced a bouquet of blue and lavender flowers, which she handed to me.

"Oh, they're beautiful!" I exclaimed, giving her a huge smile, before turning to Esme, who was standing beside us. I pulled her into an embrace as well.

"Thank you for coming out to meet us," I said sincerely, hoping to convey my appreciation for their support, looking around at everyone but Edward as I said it. Esme rubbed soothing circles on my back.

"We're happy to be here. How was your honeymoon?" I beamed.

"Esme, it was so wonderful, thank you so much for letting us come to Isle Esme! It was absolutely perfect!" Her smile widened in response.

"I'm glad you liked it."

"How are you feeling Bella?" Carlisle asked me, his eyes showing more concern than his polite smile and casual tone.

"Better," I assured him. "I haven't gotten sick since we left the island. I'm shocked more than anything, but nervous and excited too."

"That's understandable. It's good to hear your nausea has toned down." he said.

I nodded in agreement, and finally turned to look at Edward. He was staring at Rosalie, looking shocked and horrified, wearing a deeply afflicted expression.

"We should go home and talk through things together." I tried to make my tone sound apologetic.

"Discussing this openly would be appropriate." His eyes narrowed, but he kept his voice civil.

As we walked out to the car, I took his hand, Rosalie walking on my other side. He didn't resist, but neither did he make any move to respond. I knew by the set of his jaw how stressed much more stressed he had just become. I scrambled for something appropriate to say.

"Edward, you're right. We'll get through this."

He looked at me blankly.

"How are we going to get through anything if you're hiding things from me and plotting with Rosalie to make sure I can't interfere with your decision? We're supposed to be partners, but you've decided this on your own. How do you expect me to react to that?"


	2. Chapter 2

I was expecting Edward to say something like this, but it still stung. I couldn't formulate anything coherent to say in response, so I walked as calmly and as dignantly as I could towards the car Rosalie directed me to, my eyes blurring with tears. Miraculously, they weren't spilling over. She opened the back passenger door, and sliding into the middle seat, motioned to the open one beside her. Edward sat on the other side of Rose, while Carlisle got into the driver's seat, and Jasper took his place in the front passenger side. My sadness faded into a peaceful calm immediately, but I knew it wouldn't last. I curled up against Rosalie's shoulder, and launched step two, attempting to piece together the explanation I would offer to Edward. My mind seemed frozen, inspiration refused to strike. As we pulled out, I noticed Esme following us in Rosalie's convertible from the side mirror.

"Bella, do you want to stop and get something to eat on the way home? We have our fridge stocked of course, but is there anything that sounds particularly good to you?" His tone was still detached and pained, but his question was considerate.

I certainly wasn't feeling particularly hungry at the moment, but I knew we had a long day ahead of us, and it seemed wise to be eating regular meals for the baby's sake. I spotted a sandwich outlet ahead of us, and calculated that a cold sub would be fairly nutritious. Moreover, sandwiches didn't have a wafting aroma, so I was optimistic it wouldn't set off my morning sickness as the chicken had.

"I wouldn't mind stopping at the sandwich shop ahead." My voice completely betrayed me, cracking and sounding wounded. Traitor tears spilled over.

"Bella-" he started, sounding reconciliatory, twisting around Rose to see my expression. I didn't meet his gaze. Carlisle turned the Mercedes off the main road and smoothly pulled into a parking space right beside the shop door. Before I could make any progress in getting out, he had my door opened and was leaning down so his face was level to mine. His beautiful face stared intently at mine, reading the emotions there, and I felt a swell of pride at the thought that this handsome person in front of me was all mine. He took my hands into his.

"Will you talk with me for a moment outside? Then we'll get your food, and be on our way."

I silently nodded my assent, and he helped me out, guiding me towards the empty picnic tables set up next to the shop, his arm wrapped protectively around my back. He sat down at the table farthest away from the parking lot and gently pulled me next to him.

"Bella, we're hurting each other because we're not communicating and cooperating as a team right now. Can we be honest and talk through what's going on so we're not attacking our relationship while we sort the pregnancy out?" His tone was soft and pleading.

I looked up at him, mortifyingly still crying, and attempted to stifle the waterworks with my sleeve.

"Believe me Edward, I want that too. I just don't know how to be honest without hurting you more than I already have. I'm trying to phrase it the right way, but I haven't pieced it all together yet," I whispered apologetically, a small sob escaping me. He pulled me close to him, rocking us back and forth slowly, running a soothing hand over my hair. He kissed my forehead, and murmured into my ear.

"I know you're not trying to hurt me, and I promise I'm not trying to hurt you. So just tell me the truth, and I won't take it personally" He paused. "Why did you call Rosalie?"

I took a shaky breath, and he took my hand in his again, rubbing soothing circles onto the back of it. I kept my gaze on our hands.

"You called our baby a 'thing' and promised Carlisle would get it out. When I first felt him move, I felt so much love for him, and I still do. Clearly you felt differently about him than I did. You saw how the pregnancy was affecting me, and you wanted to eliminate the pain, the danger, it caused me. You're very protective of me."

I paused, considering.

"Most of the time, it makes me feel loved and safe. But sometimes in the past you've gone to great lengths to eliminate what you felt was threatening me. When you've gone into elimination mode, you don't usually decide things with me. You decide on your own and we talk about it after it's finished."

I stopped again, recalling.

"Like with James. When we were driving away from the baseball field, after he'd decided to track me, you'd set your mind on a plan of action. It required Alice and Emmett's participation for you to reconsider, and change course. If it was just you and me in the Jeep, I don't think you would have seriously considered my plan, or agreed to it."

I refrained from adding, 'And my dad could have died,' risking a glance at Edward's expression. It was calm, receptive, composed. So I continued.

"At Isle Esme, I felt like you were starting to go into elimination mode, that you were seeing our child as a target. I didn't want to go behind your back, but I felt so protective of him. I knew I was too weak to keep him safe. So I called Rosalie, because I knew if she was involved, you wouldn't make a rash decision in the heat of your elimination mode. I hoped her presence would convince you to slow down so we could make the decision together."

I squeezed his hand.

"You love me enough to want to protect me from morning sickness and whatever lies ahead, and Edward I'm grateful." I gave him a small, watery smile. "But seeing me hurting makes you go a little crazy sometimes, and vice versa. When we feel crazy like that, we need other people to step in, so we don't make crazy mistakes. I'm sorry if I involved Rosalie the wrong way, if I hurt you."

He nodded and took a deep breath.

"Thank you for telling me. I see where you're coming from and I'm sorry my reaction to the pregnancy made you feel that way."

I tightened my grip on his hand. His expression became one of consternation.

"When I realized you were pregnant, that you were in danger and pain because of what I did to you, I hated myself. I'd made a terrible mistake, and the least I could do is eliminate that pain and danger as quickly as possible. I think you made up that particular term, but you're right, I went into elimination mode. When I heard what Rose was thinking back at the airport, I felt like you'd chosen her, and the fetus, over us."

He brushed his fingers over my cheek, and I saw the sadness, the hurt. My heart ached.

"I felt like you were so determined to continue hurting and endangering yourself that you had to involve a bodyguard and personal coach to make sure I didn't stop you. I can't watch you destroy yourself Bella. If you want a baby, you can have one, but you can't do it this way. This fetus has vampire genes. Think about it Bella, what are some common vampire qualities I may have passed on? Thirst for blood, brute strength, venomous bites and difficulty in self-discipline. The fetus can reasonably be assumed to have one if not all of those qualities. That's a deadly cocktail of qualities to have inside your breakable, blood-filled body. Carlisle can take care of you. You have nothing to be afraid of if you let us keep you safe. But if you nurture the fetus with Rosalie, it will kill you, I'll kill myself, and everything will be a tragedy."

His reasoning was so straightforward, so logical. My mind hadn't looked at it from this angle yet. I just didn't see my little nudger in such a threatening light. To me, he was so precious, so amazing, so innocent. Was some biological, maternal instinct clouding my vision?

Edward's golden eyes met mine, and he locked my gaze with his.

"Do you understand now why I reacted that way?"

I nodded.

"Yes," I murmured. "But I'm not convinced that abortion is the right thing to do. Whatever the pregnancy is doing to us, whatever the baby is doing to me, it's not his fault. He's innocent Edward; he doesn't know he's hurting me and he's not trying to. And he's our baby. I feel him moving, and it's incredible, like this little miracle. How can killing him be okay? Edward, you and your family have dedicated yourselves to sacrificing so that innocent people don't have to die. Maybe this situation is just another struggle to face in that endeavor."

Edward shook his head.

"No Bella, this is different."

"Well that is what we need to sort through at home: the ethics. Abortion feels strongly wrong to me, continuing the pregnancy feels strongly wrong to you. Hopefully when we get home, Carlisle can find out more about the fetus, and we can use the facts to reach a decision," I said softly.

"Agreed," Edward murmured.

He pulled me into a hug, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, clutching him to me for a wonderful instant, slightly subconscious of the audience I was sure was observing us keenly from the car. I pulled back to give Edward a small, encouraging smile. Wonderfully, the friction and negativity between us had melted away, and a numb exhaustion was taking it's place.

"Thank you for talking with me. You're looking pale; how are you feeling?"

He dabbed at the tear streaks on my face carefully with his sleeve.

"I'm really tired, I'll take a nap when we get back. But you were right, we needed to talk this out. We can't fight each other right now."

"Let's get you back to the car."

"Alright," I agreed easily.

"Do you know what kind of sandwhich you want?"

"Wheat bread, ham, cheddar, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, pickles and mayonnaise-unheated."

Edward made a face.

"That really sounds disgusting, but if that's what you prefer..."

I cracked a smile. He helped me up, and guided me back to the car, opening the door so I could slide in. I shot everyone an apologetic glance as Edward went in to order my sandwich.

"I'm sorry for the hold-up."

Carlisle gave me a small smile.

"It's no trouble Bella," he assured me. As Jasper's calm enveloped me, I felt even more tired.

"Rosalie?" I mumbled.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I sit there in the middle so I can be next to Edward?" Wordlessly she moved over and I occupied her spot, fastening my safety belt, and sinking against the seat. I noticed Carlisle's gaze flicker to mine in the rearview mirror, and he calmly got out of his seat, and walked around to sit in the open seat I was saving for Edward. He put a hand on my arm.

"Bella, do you feel sick? Are you hurting anywhere?"

"No, I'm just exhausted all of a sudden."

"Your pulse is slightly elevated and you look really pale. You should lay down when we get home." he advised quitely. I nodded.

"I was planning on it." He got out, and walked back to the driver's seat, as Edward came out with my food, and took his place. I curled up next to him, and he wrapped me in his arms.

"Thank you. I think I'll eat when we get back." I murmured.

"Okay."

Carlisle pulled out of the parking lot, and Rosalie gave me a blanket, which Edward tucked around me. I drifted off in Edward's comforting embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

"We're home," the angel whispered. I made an unintelligible sound of recognition as he unbuckled my seat belt and gathered me into his arms. I felt my body rocking gently as he maneuvered us out of the car, and something in my stomach knotted. Instantly, I felt sick, and I made a feeble attempt to get away from my husband.

"Edward!" Carlisle warned urgently, and he mercifully sat me down on his lap, supporting me under my arms, while another set of cool hands held back my hair. My body spasmed with heaves and I threw up violently onto the grass. When it finally stopped, I leaned back against Edward.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, mortified at the mess I'd left in the front lawn.

"You don't have to apologize," Esme reassured me with a note of finality.

I started to stand, and as Edward helped me up, I leaned heavily on him. My head was spinning and I felt weak. I realized I was shaking. Edward picked me up again and brought me with inhuman speed inside, laying me down on a bed. The bed felt amazing, and I smelled the fresh scent of laundry soap coming off the head still spinning, I closed my eyes. Someone draped a thick, warm blanket over me, and sat down next to me on the bed. Edward leaned in and spoke softly to me, rested a hand on my right shoulder.

"Carlisle is going to check your vitals, ask you a few questions, and then you'll have time to rest until you feel well enough to do some basic pregnancy tests."

I nodded, and he kissed my forehead.

"I'll get you water to rinse your mouth out with." Edward's hand left my shoulder, and a few moments later, I felt a new hand gently rubbing my arm. I opened my eyes, to see Carlisle sitting next to me, holding a clipboard, his eyes focused on me, his expression very kind..

"Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," I murmured. "The nausea is gone, but the dizziness takes a little longer to pass."

He nodded.

"Go ahead and keep your eyes closed if that helps. Is there anything I can get you?"

I closed my eyes again.

"No thank you."

"Are you in any pain?" he asked softly.

"No," I murmured.

"I'm glad," he replied earnestly.

I heard him make another note on his clipboard as Edward's hand returned to my shoulder. I looked at him with a small smile, and he helped me sit up. I swished the water around in my mouth, before spitting it back out, wary my nausea would return if I started swallowing liquids so soon. Edward set the glass on a nearby desk when I was finished, and I recognized the bookcase in Carlisle's office standing behind the desk.I realized we were indeed in the office, and looked around at how things were now set up. My bed had been established in the center, with machines, rolling cabinets, stands and stools set up around it. I noticed my bed had knee rests on the end, and I eyed them warily.

"You moved some things in here," I mentioned casually.

"Yes, I did." Carlisle agreed, offering me a small smile. "The rearrangement wasn't as complicated as it looked it would be though. I'm thankful I was able to get the equipment here so fast." He paused shortly, before continuing his benign questioning. "Do you have any new symptoms since we talked on the phone?"

I frowned slightly, considering, as I layed back down on the bed.

"I started feeling weaker and more tired soon after we left the airport. Nothing otherwise."

Carlisle nodded in agreement. "So mentioned on the phone your appetite has gone up. Do you feel thirstier than usual?"

I shrugged.

"Maybe a little. I haven't noticed anything drastic."

"The reason I ask is because your body will naturally give the fetus all the energy it desires, and run your own organs on what's leftover. Making sure your own body stays well nourished is paramount. You could easily be undernourished at the rate the fetus is developing, so we'll monitor you and start giving you IV fluids if necessary. A blood test will tell us what we need to know."

My heart started to beat faster at the mention of needles, as Carlisle produced a small tube of medicine from the cabinet.

"Now I know you're strongly averse to needles, so I ordered this topical anesthetic I can put on your hand or arm before blood draws and IV placements. Hopefully that will make you more comfortable."

I didn't realize I'd tensed and started holding my breath until I exhaled and relaxed simultaneously as he mentioned the anesthetic. He smiled in response.

"I'm going to put it on your arm now so I can start running blood tests in an hour once you're numb."

"Thank you," I breathed sincerely, laying my arm out as I would for a blood draw. He rubbed the ointment onto my skin opposite my elbow, instructing,

"Try not to rub it off or touch it for an hour."

"Okay," I agreed.

"Also, start drinking plenty of liquids as soon as you feel well enough. You need a full bladder to do an abdominal ultrasound and afterwards, if you could use the plastic cup on the toilet, I'd like to run some urine tests."

I bobbed my head once. Carlisle screwed the cap back on the tube, and replacing it, retrieved a new object from the cabinet.

"I'm going to run this across your forehead and behind your ear," he explained, doing so, and then assuring me as he replaced the instrument, "Your temperature is normal."

He pulled out a blood pressure cuff, wrapped it around my arm with a loud crackling sound, and pumping it up, watched the meter as it released.

"Also normal. Same with your heart rate and breathing."

He made a brief note on his clipboard, and then Carlisle handed me an iPad. I read the title of the document on it: "PREGNANCY TESTING INFORMATION AND QUESTIONNAIRE" I looked back up at Carlisle nervously, biting my lip, and he began explaining.

"Within the next few hours, once you feel ready, we're going to start doing some pregnancy tests to find out how you're body is doing and learn what we can about the fetus. Edward told me this will be your first experience with gynecology, and I want you to feel comfortable, so I'm going to start by giving you some information."

He gestured towards the iPad.

"Edward, Esme and I put together a document for you to read through. Section one goes through what we're going to be doing today, the preliminary tests: the blood and urine testing, physical exam, abdominal ultrasound and vaginal ultrasound. It explains what you can expect to happen, how it will feel and why we're doing it. At the bottom, you'll find videos giving you visual explanations. Section two does the same things with more advanced tests that we may not need to do, depending on the preliminary test results: fetoscopy, amniocentesis and chronic villus sampling. Section three is questions about your preferences during testing, like whether you want sedation. When you're ready, I'd like you to go through the document and answer the questions. Anything the document doesn't tell you that you'd like to know, just ask."

I nodded again.

"Thank you." I murmured, glancing meaningfully at Carlisle and then Edward.

"You're welcome." He squeezed my hand gently.

"Are you ready for lunch? Alice stocked your favorites," he promised temptingly.

"Could you bring up my sandwich and a lemonade please?"

"Alice is getting it," Edward told us.

Carlisle took a pill bottle out of the cabinet, and a few seconds later, Alice darted in with a tray, carrying my sandwich, a lemonade bottle and napkins.

"I hope you enjoy it," she said dramatically, making a disgusted face rivaling Edward's. I laughed, as she handed the tray off to him.

"Thanks Alice."

She kissed my cheek.

"It's no trouble! I'll see you tonight at your post-honeymoon girls bonding bash," she added excitedly.

I snorted, and gave her an incredulous, amused look, while Carlisle grinned and Edward made a choking sound.

"Our what?" I spluttered.

"You heard me," she retorted, no-nonsense. "And if a medical condition prevents you from coming, we'll just reschedule. No ducking out," she insisted sternly.

"Okay Alice," I conceded, unwilling to argue about it at the moment.

"Okay Bella." Alice countered, flashing me a brilliant smile before disappearing out the door, promising, "I'll bring you strawberry ice cream for dessert!"

I turned back to Carlisle and looked curiously at the pill bottle. He held it out to me so I could see the label read "Tylenol".

"One last thing Bella. Two of the tests we're doing later can cause some cramping, so I'm going to have you take Tylenol now. The medication will keep you from feeling it. If you have trouble keeping it down, I'll give you an injection before the test."

I nodded a final time.

"Thank you."

"Of course. Do you have any questions before I go?

I shook my head, and he stood up.

"I'll be downstairs then if you need me before I come back to do your blood draw in an hour."

"Alright," I agreed easily. Carlisle walked out, leaving Edward and I with some privacy.

"Is there another pillow?" I asked him. He took one out of a drawer, and I stuffed it behind me so I could sit up.

"Don't let me fall asleep before I'm done with all of this," I instructed seriously.

"Yes ma'am." Edward responded dutifully. He slid on to bed next to me, and handed me the tray. I picked up the pills, and he offered me the opened lemonade bottle. I swallowed them, and seeing as it didn't upset my stomach, began nibbling cautiously at my sandwich. I was relieved when sickness didn't flood back. Edward wrapped his arm around me, and held up the iPad, so I could read while I was eating. As promised, Alice brought me a delicious bowl of ice cream to finish my meal.

I was very happy to have the document, which explained everything meticulously and informed me none of the preliminary tests would be painful. I was adequately at ease about those, though in honesty, the advanced tests made me feel anxious, while the idea of going through amniocentesis made me downright panicked. I didn't hesitate to request sedation in the case of needing the advanced tests. I opted to have Edward and Esme join me during the procedures, and appreciatively noted the things like heated socks that had been purchased for my comfort. When I finally got through everything, I checked the box giving Carlisle consent to start testing, and curled up next to my husband, closing my eyes. I felt him set down the ipad, and he pulled me into his arms, rubbing my back.

"You're a phenomenal husband Edward. Thank you for supporting me."

"I love you Mrs. Cullen, so deeply. I could never survive without you." He kissed my hair.

"Can I stay here for a few minutes?"

"Always," he promised.


	4. Chapter 4

I felt my body shift, but it didn't jar me enough to wake me up fully. Someone was rubbing my arm.

"Bella love, we're going to start the abdominal ultrasound now. You can go back to sleep if you want."

I mumbled, "Hmm," and drifted back towards sleep. I felt my blankets being rearranged, hands carefully tugging at my clothing, soothing heat fall over my exposed skin, warm jelly being spread over my stomach and something hard pressing lightly down on top of the jelly.

For a little while I lulled, the probe not hurting me at all, inching my way back to sound sleep, but I was aroused again by serious, murmuring voices. I stretched and began waking up in earnest, blinking my eyes open.

"...don't know Edward," Carlisle was saying. He was holding the probe on my abdomen, standing next to the ultrasound machine at my right side, while Edward stood tensely, arms crossed at my left. Blankets were still covering my upper body and legs, while a heat lamp had been considerately set up above my exposed abdomen.

Carlisle and Edward turned their attention to me, no doubt alerted by my movement, and Carlisle gave me a reassuring smile, while Edward's face remained a blank mask.

"Hello Bella. I'm just finishing up here. Is it tolerable for you to wait with using the bathroom for a few more minutes?."

I nodded, more aware of the urge now that he'd mentioned it, but it was bearable.

"Would you like to see the ultrasound image?"

"Yes," I breathed eagerly.

Carlisle adjusted the screen, and then used one of his gloved fingers to explain what I was seeing in the yellow 4D image.

"This cavity here is your uterus. And inside, you can see this fairly large mass."

And I did. To my disappointment, there was no charming baby on the screen, just a boring mass. I frowned slightly.

"Now I want you to understand I don't believe you're in any immediate danger, and I'm going to figure out what this mass is, but I admit I'm very surprised that we're seeing this. I expected to see an amniotic sac and a fetal outline, especially since you were feeling movement. This means we're probably going to need to do some of the advanced tests later."

I nodded numbly, staring at the mass in confusion, my frown growing more pronounced, as Edward took the probe from Carlisle, and Carlisle began jotting notes on his clipboard. When Edward's hand slipped into mine, I looked at him attentively.

"Bella, you look upset. What are you feeling?"

"I'm just disappointed we didn't get an adorable first baby picture." I confessed matter-a-factly.

"That's all?" He asked gently.

I struggled to regain control of my slipping composure.

"Well, um...Carlisle, do you have any idea what that is?" My voice came out far too high and distraught sounding. Edward murmured. "Love, it's okay," while Esme sat down on the bed beside me, pulling me into a hug, soothing my hair as a few silent tears streamed down my face. I hugged her back, comforted by her maternal support. She held me for a few seconds, murmuring, "You're safe," before I settled back onto the bed. She wiped the tears off carefully, and then held my right hand between the two of hers.

"Thank you. You're all so wonderful," I said sincerely, as a sense of being loved very deeply replaced the sadness.

Carlisle took the probe off my stomach and wiped the gel off with a tissue, giving me a small nod of recognition.

"My theory would have to be that given the nature of the pregnancy, something in Edward's genetic makeup has formed a hard, protective layer around the fetus which won't allow ultrasonic waves to penetrate."

"Like your skin?"

He nodded grimly.

"It's possible. When we do your physical exam, I should be able to get a clearer idea of the mass's nature. If it's hard, cold, can't be penetrated by a needle, that would indicate the mass probably is a very similar substance to our skin. Does it feel that way to you now?"

"It feels very hard, but not cold." I said rubbing my fingers lightly over the bump.

"You're very used to our skin temperature." Edward supplied. "You may simply not have registered it as being uncomfortably cold."

Carlisle walked over to a cabinet and pulling out a pile of black clothing, handed it to me.

"Bella why don't you use the bathroom now and take some personal time. When you're ready to continue testing empty your bladder and change into your exam clothes. I'll be here in the office."

I nodded, and Edward helped me up, casually re-adjusting my clothes as he did so. Taking my hand again, he led me out into the hall. I made a beeline for the bathroom, the need to relieve myself feeling more urgent now that I was standing.

I was surprised to find a spa atmosphere when we stepped inside. The soft purring of a space heater clued me into the source of the warm temperature. Vanilla candles flickered on one side of the sink top, while on the other was a stack of plush towels, with my brush, shower soaps and hair dryer laying on top of them. A pile of fresh clothes were sitting folded for Edward on the floor. I looked quizzically at Edward for an explanation as he locked the door.

"Rosalie's doing," he murmured, wrapping his arms around my waist lightly, and kissing my neck.

I smiled and washed my hands quickly before moving towards the toilet. Edward assisted me in collecting the urine sample, placing it in the cabinet under the sink, before we sanitized our hands again. I turned to dry my hands on the towel and his hands found my shoulders, massaging gently.

"Oooh, that feels good," I said quietly. He led me over to sit on the toilet again, and continued massaging me while I melted under his touch like butter. After a few minutes, he bent down so his face was level with mine, his expression warm.

"Would you like to take a hot shower with me?"

My smile bloomed into a mischievous smirk.

"Edward, I'd love to take a _hot_ shower with you."

He shook his head, chuckling quietly, before leaning in to kiss me, soft, slow, sweet. When he pulled back, far too soon, his gaze met mine, unbelievably tender. It was as though I could feel his love for me radiating like rays of sunlight. I was overcome by a deep sense of being cherished. My face glowed, flushing red and I felt myself become aroused. Edward read my body language easily.

"Believe me Bella, I want you too, and tonight, I'm yours." he said, his voice low.

"Mine," I echoed, enjoying the sound of that. "All mine," I emphasized, pulling him towards me into an iron grip hug. He chucked again, returning my embrace.

"Now?" I whispered into his ear, my tone pleading.

"When we've finished testing for the day," he insisted grudgingly.

My face turned into a pout, but I knew the testing was important, so I nodded and settled for a shower, starting to shrug my top off. He helped me, carefully removing it in one fluid motion, setting it aside next to his fresh clothing pile. I stood up and finished undressing, while Edward did the same. He turned the water on, adjusting the temperature, before stepping in and offering his hand to assist me. I accepted it, and settled under the soothing stream of hot water. Edward placed a firm, gentle hand around my arm, keeping me steady, before proceeding to lather everything below my neck with my shower sponge, working his way down my body systematically. With my head spinning and my breathing sporadic, I managed to retain enough coherence to shampoo my hair in the meantime. Once I was covered in soap, Edward carefully turned me this way and that under the spray, letting the water rinse off the suds, running his fingers through my hair to be sure no shampoo remained. When he was satisfied, he shut off the water, and handed me a towel, letting me dry myself off as he put on the fresh clothes. Finished, I wrapped the towel around my body and Edward had me sit down on the toilet once more, before proceeding to gently brush and dry my hair.

Finally, my hair dried, he picked up my exam clothes, and hanging my towel over the shower rod, pulled a soft cotton turtleneck over my head. He handed me a pair of sweatpants to put on next, and I frowned, confused at how I could wear pants during a pelvic exam, before seeing that the fabric covering the crotch and abdomen had been cut away. Bemused, I pulled them on, the fleece lining feeling very cozy. Subsequently, Edward helped me step into a stretch-waist skirt which hid the missing fabric in my pants as it settled over them. My outfit was completed when he slipped on heated socks. With me dressed, he brought me to sit sideways on his lap.

"We thought that you would be warmer and more comfortable in these than in the traditional hospital gown." He explained.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. "I definitely prefer these."

He kissed my hair.

"Do you want anything from the kitchen? Some fresh air or exercise?"

"I'll eat after the physical. I'm ready to get started."

"You're comfortable with everything?" Edward asked. He tried to keep his tone casual, but I heard the distress in his voice. Of course he was worried about the possibility of my discomfort. I felt his gaze probing my features for signs of anxiety.

I squeezed his hand, before looking up at him to offer reassurance.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm a little nervous, sure, but I know you'll help me through that, and we both know Carlisle is an amazing doctor who's going to take excellent care of me. There's really no reason to freak out about some painless exams that won't even take very long."

Edward nodded.

"That's a very healthy way to approach it."

I managed a small grin, and proceeded to use the toilet once more before washing up and walking into the office, Edward's hand wrapped around my own.

Carlisle and Esme were talking quietly on the far side of the room, sitting together on a sofa, but they came over to greet us as we walked in.

"Are you ready to get started Bella?" Carlisle asked kindly.

"Yes." I replied softly.

"We'll come back once you're situated with Edward then."

I nodded, and as they exited the office, Edward and I made our way towards the bed. He lifted me up to sit on the end between the knee rests, and then helped me get into the exam position, supporting my back as I put my legs up and laid down.

"Are your legs resting comfortably? I can adjust the knee rests if they're not."

"They feel fine," I assured him.

"Good."

Edward moved the heat lamp so that the warmth fell between my legs, and got me an extra pillow, so I would be propped up enough to see what Carlisle was doing. He draped a paper sheet over my legs, covering me completely and tucked a warm blanket over my torso, pulling the bottom edge up so that it didn't go down past my abdomen.

"Can I get you anything else?"

I shook my head.

"I'm set."

On que, Carlisle and Esme walked in, Esme seating herself to my right, taking my hand in hers under the blanket, Carlisle moving over to the sink to wash. His hands sanitized, my heart rate spiked as he came over to sit on my left side, while Edward started turning on the ultrasound machine.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" he inquired gently.

"A little nervous, but comfortable and safe."

Carlisle nodded and gave me a small smile.

"It's completely normal to feel nervous, and I'm really glad to hear you feel comfortable and safe. The more relaxed you are during the exam the better, so I'm going to have you focus on taking slow, deep breaths while you're feeling anxious during the exam. You'll be able to see everything I'm doing, and I'll explain things as we go. If you start feeling discomfort or need to stop, tell me, and we'll continue when you feel more at ease. Do you have any questions?"

"No."

Carlisle stood up, and getting gloves which he pulled on, came back to stand next to the left side of the bed.

"I'm going to start by gently pressing on your abdomen to feel the mass when you exhale. Tell me if it's tender and I can give you some pain medication. Take some deep breaths please," he explained.

I nodded and as I complied, he put both hands on the mass, rubbing the area gently to test for any soreness. When I showed no signs of distress, he used his finger tips to probe around the bulge gingerly, while the slight shakiness in my breathing calmed under his gentle touch.

"Keep breathing just like that, nice and slow. I'm going to gradually press deeper, but it won't hurt." Carlisle's explained, his tone soothing.

I nodded again, and squeezed Esme's hand as Carlisle pressed slightly deeper with each exhale, allowing me to adjust to the pressure so I wouldn't feel alarmed. I took six breaths as she rubbed my arm, and smiled supportively.

"This is as deep as I'll go," Carlisle informed me, continuing to palpate the mass from different angles. I smiled when I started feeling little nudges from inside in response.

"Do you feel him moving?" I asked happily.

Carlisle nodded, his expression one of deep concentration.

Thirty seconds passed as Carlisle analyzed my nudger's movements, before withdrawing his hand.

"You're definitely pregnant Bella," Carlisle pronounced calmly.

Esme began rubbing circles onto the back of my hand with her thumb and when I glanced over at her, we shared excited smiles. When I turned my attention back to Carlisle, he holding a metal speculum under the water. He came back to stand at my side.

"Bella, is this temperature comfortable?" He touched it lightly on my abdomen.

"Yes."

He placed lubricant on it, and handed it to Edward, who sat down at the end of the bed.

"I'm going to pull the drape up, and Edward's going to place the speculum. It won't hurt." Carlisle explained. As he grasped the sheet, Esme distracted me.

"How often do you feel the baby move Bella?"

I felt Edward's hand touch my thigh, and travel down, pulling my labia back, and tensed somewhat.

Esme's hands started massaging my shoulders soothingly, and I focused on her again, relaxing.

"Um, a couple times a day, when I'm awake at least."

As I said this, I felt Edward insert the speculum gently.

"Bella, you'll feel a clicking sound as I open this," he informed me, before doing so. It wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I'd expected.

"I'm going to examine your cervix and vagina though the speculum, and use a swab to test for bacteria. After that, I'll remove the speculum, and put two fingers in your vagina, with my free hand on your abdomen, to feel the pregnancy from a different angle. You won't feel any pain." Carlisle informed me softly.

I nodded, blushing as Edward and Carlisle switched places. Edward kissed my forehead.

"Deep breaths," he reminded me gently.

I complied.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were some of your favorite adventures on your honeymoon?" Esme asked genially.

I looked at Edward, grinning, before turning back to Esme.

"We did so many things, I really enjoyed all of them, so it's hard to choose favorites. But watching the sunset on the cove was really gorgeous, and getting so close to the animals was really cool too. I've never swam with porpoises before."

I felt the speculum being withdrawn, and addressed Edward.

"What about you?"

He smiled.

"I liked the waterfall."

I shook my head.

"I still can't believe you got me to do that!"

Edward smirked.

"What did he talk you into?" Esme asked warily.

"We went up to the top, and I got on his back and we jumped off."

"You weren't traumatized I hope." She shot Edward a very motherly look.

I shook my head.

"I don't normally go for the thrill rides that drop at amusement parks and so forth, but I was with Edward. I didn't mind."

"Have you been on many amusement rides?" Edward wondered.

"My mom took me to a really big amusement park for my tenth birthday, and I really loved going through it with her. But mostly rides were just something I did at the state fair some years with my classmates as part of a social outing. The girls and boys would compete to do the scariest rides."

"That sounds like it must have been interesting." Esme commented with a grin.

"Yes, it was." I agreed.

"Which ride did you like best?" Edward pressed.

"I liked the Ferris Wheel, when Jonah wasn't rocking us at the top-my classmate," I explained.

"He'd try to rock the booth you were in on the ride?" Esme asked sympathetically.

"We'd get to the top and he'd shift his weight so we'd swing side to side and talk about the different cities where the Ferris Wheel had broken and people had died or lost limbs from the booths plunging down from the top. He laughed when we asked him to stop." I said dryly.

Edward ran his hands up and down my arms.

"I'm sorry he did that. And I apologize, we're making you tense talking about this, we'll change the subject," he said, feeling how I'd grown taughnter at recalling the memory.

I took some more deep breaths, and focused on the soothing feel of Edward's hands.

"You're doing great Bella. Hang in there." Carlisle encouraged me.

Careful to focus on staying relaxed, I smiled at my subsequent memory of the fair event.

"There were three of us in a booth that time: me, Jonah and Cassey. Cassey was pissed that Jonah had ignored her, so when the ride was finished, she plotted revenge with her girlfriends. Eileen really liked roller coasters, and Jonah had always chickened out of going on any, so she volunteered to challenge Jonah to do one with her, thinking either he's prove himself as a wimp or have to do something scary himself. She got him to go on the most extreme one in the park, and he was really sick afterwards. I think it was a little harsh on Cassey's part."

Esme smiled and Edward shook his head.

"Girls really shouldn't be underestimated." Edward remarked.

I grinned.

"No, we shouldn't." Esme agreed smugly.

I felt Carlisle withdraw his hands.

"Bella, I'm finished with the pelvic exam. Edward's going to insert the ultrasound probe now and we'll see if it shows us anything the abdominal ultrasound didn't."

I nodded, as Carlisle got up to stand next to the machine, while Edward took Carlisle's seat. I resumed my deep breathing as he placed lubricant on the probe and slid it carefully in place.

Carlisle pressed buttons, bringing the image into focus, before nodding.

"You see the same mass on this one."

He turned the screen, pointing out the mass in the image which was this time black and white.

"I'm going to write down the measurements we get from this angle, and then you'll be done."

He jotted notes onto his clipboard at vampire speed for several seconds, before Edward withdrew the probe, and handed it to him. I took my legs out of the rests, and sat up, pulling my skirt over the exposed skin in my sweatpants. Edward wrapped his arm around me and I felt comforted.

Sitting down in front of me, so he was at my eye level, Carlisle gave me a sympathetic look.

"Bella, this isn't going to be easy to hear or discuss, but I have some test results I need to share with you. I'm not trying to scare you or hurt you, but it's extremely important that you hear this so you can make an informed choice. Is now alright?"

I nodded, and Edward shifted me onto his lap, pulling me close in a tender embrace, as Esme came to stand beside us. Carlisle's expression grew serious and grim.

"Your blood and urine test results haven't come back yet, but what we've done so far has told me some significant information. The fetus is extremely strong for it's size and age, and it's growing very fast. From what I can feel, the mass is, as you suggested, made of a substance like our skin. I'd like to confirm this by attempting amniocentesis, but I don't believe any instrument can pierce it. Most likely, this mass can only be penetrated by vampire teeth, which would explain the legends of human-vampire children chewing their way out of their mother's bodies. Given how the legends describe these children drinking blood after they're born, I'm concerned the fetus is feeding off your bloodstream as well. Your dizziness, paleness and fatigue are all symptoms of anemia, which would result from that kind of blood loss. If you continue the pregnancy, at this rate within a week, the fetus is going to be strong enough to hurt you, causing bruising and broken bones. As the fetus grows, it will continue to take nutrients from your body, making you very weak. In that state, you're life would be in danger and attempting either a delivery or termination could easily be too much for your heart. If we didn't deliver the pregnancy early enough, and the fetus chewed its way out on it's own, it would almost certainly kill you."

He paused, letting that sink in, before continuing.

"The good news is that we discovered your pregnancy early on and it's treatable. I can safely remove the pregnancy in a matter of hours while you're completely numb and relaxed. You'll make a full recovery. As your doctor, I'm telling you it's critical that we remove the pregnancy before it's too late. I'm convinced that failure to do so would result in your death. I'd like to operate tomorrow evening."


	5. Chapter 5

Clearly, Edward, Esme and Carlisle expected this news to very difficult for me to hear. But I felt none of the emotions that were to be expected: fear, anger, sadness, panic. Instead, I felt a dull calm and an insistent defensive maternal urge to protect my nudger. I answered Carlisle easily.

"If we perform an abortion tomorrow, we'd be killing him, and if we delivered him tomorrow, he'd die from prematurity. I love him. I can't hurt him like that."

Carlisle's response was gentle, but immediate.

"Bella, help me understand what you mean by that. Do you feel you have a moral obligation to continue the pregnancy?"

"No. Well, not exactly. The concept of bodily autonomy makes sense to me. How can it be alright for someone to force you to donate blood, or a kidney, or bone marrow? Pregnancy is more dangerous and extreme than any of those things. It involves another person living inside you, using and affecting your entire body for nine months. It's probably more dangerous than any other kind of donation too. If a woman feels like she's reached her limit, she can't endure being pregnant any longer and has the pregnancy removed, I can understand that. It doesn't seem wrong. But pregnancy termination is serious enough that doing it before you've reached your limit does seem wrong. When someone's life hangs in the balance, then yeah, I think you have an obligation to push through for as long as you can. I haven't reached my limit, emotionally or physically, so I do feel obligated not to remove him right now."

Edward sighed, while Carlisle nodded politely looking strained.

"So tell me if I'm understanding you right. You're motivation in wanting to continuing the pregnancy is three-fold. You feel morally obligated to do so until you can no longer tolerate being pregnant. You're experiencing a strong maternal bond to the fetus, which is causing you to hope he will survive. Your maternal bond is also making you feel strongly opposed to doing anything that would cause him to suffer, namely a brutal abortion procedure that would take his life."

"Exactly."

"Bella…" Edward moaned softly.

"In actuality, your third motivation shouldn't be cause for you to object to removing the pregnancy. If you agreed to a pregnancy termination, I'd deliver him through your abdominal wall. At that point I'd be able to administer anesthetic to him through the umbilical cord before cutting it. We'd do what we could to save him. If his body wasn't developed enough to survive, he'd die without suffering."

My mouth formed into a small 'O' and my eyes widened, surprised. After a few moments, I softly responded, "Oh. I was expecting something more along the lines of dilation and evacuation or instillation abortion."

"The fetus's protective layer would prevent being able to perform those. If it wasn't there, and you didn't object, I would have considered those, because they involve less risks for you. But I certainly would have rendered the fetus incapable of feeling pain first. I don't want to cause suffering any more than you do."

I gave him a small smile of appreciation which he returned grimly.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I guessed otherwise."

"I don't hold it against you. Giving fetal anesthesia during abortions is practically non-existent, so your assumption was logical." he assured me fervently, before posing another question.

"Bella, what do you think 'reaching your limit' might look like for you?"

"Having emotional reactions or pain too severe to manage with medication and relaxation techniques. Or if the baby was in distress and needed to get out, of course."

I felt Edward tense. Carlisle took my hand again, and looked straight into my eyes, holding my gaze seriously.

"Bella, I need you to understand this. Based on my 343 years of medical experience, I don't believe you will survive if we wait that long to intervene."

 _Survive._ My eyes lost focus, as I zoned out. Dying wasn't an issue for me. As long as I survived. As long as my heart kept beating Edward's venom throughout my body for seventy-two hours.

"Bella honey," Carlisle said gently as Esme lay a cool hand against my forehead.

I snapped back to the present.

"Carlisle, that's it. I don't have to avoid dying, as long as I can survive. If Edward changes me right after the baby is born, I should be able to make it to viability! If venom could heal Esme, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett on the brink of death, it can do the same for me!"

There was stunned silence for a moment before everyone recovered. Suddenly Rosalie was standing with us, and Edward hissed at her.

"That's true Bella! It could work!" she sounded as excited as I felt.

"Venom can't overcome everything Bella." Carlisle warned me. "There is a chance it could work. The likelihood of that chance is something I won't be able to tell until a week from now. But your idea doesn't change my medical recommendation. I still don't think you should wait and take this kind of gamble."

I pursed my lips, unswayed. He switched to a more effective angle.

"Bella, you need to consider everyone involved, not just the fetus. Your body isn't the only thing on the line here. Risking your life means putting Edward at risk of losing his spouse. I know you don't want to hurt him like that."

"Of course not," I replied hastily, squeezing Edward's knee.

"It's admirable that you're willing to endure great personal hardship for the fetus. But the fetus isn't the only one who relies on you. You may have obligations towards the fetus, yet do those outweigh your responsibilities as a spouse? Bella, sometimes the most admirable things are not about what we can endure, but about setting our desires aside out of love for another. I understand that you want to nurture this child at your own risk. I'm asking you to consider something less extreme-sacrificing your own desire for Edward's sake."

"I can't live without you Bella." Edward's voice came out broken and desperate, soft and pleading.

Rosalie spoke up with incredulous outrage.

"We all understand this situation is serious. Obviously there are more than two people involved in the outcome of Bella's pregnancy. But what you just presented is an appeal to emotion, a logical fallacy! What kind of parallel are you drawing, comparing the need of a child to remain on it's only source of life support with a grown man's need for his wife's affections? Obviously Bella doesn't want to hurt Edward and she will consider him in the equation. But he is a factor, not _the_ factor. The child's situation is actually more dire than his, and it _is_ her body. I'm sure Edward would never ask Bella to do something he knew would be agonizing and haunt her the rest of her life."

Rosalie finished her point by turning to Edward pointedly with crossed arms. I opted to change the subject.

"Carlisle, is there anything we can do to get the baby to viability faster?"

He folded his hands.

"Well, in human pregnancies, taking steroids has proven effective in speeding lung development, which is the biggest concern regarding viability. There are risks for both of you involved, but I think the circumstances may justify it if that's what you'd like to do."

"We're on a race against the clock. I'd like to start as soon as possible."

"They'll make your nausea worse, and I have no idea how this fetus will react. Giving drugs to quicken development when the growth rate is so fast to begin with could have disastrous consequences."

"It's worth trying. I can always stop if I need to."

My stomach growled loudly and I blushed.

"Let's get you some food," Edward murmured, before standing me up.

"Thank you Carlisle, for your input and doing the tests," I said sincerely.

He nodded.

"Of course."

Edward pulled gently on my arm, and I let him lead me into the kitchen, where Alice had a cheese pizza waiting for me that smelled amazing. I sat down on the bar stool and dug in immediately. She handed me a glass of lemonade with a smile.

"Don't mention it," she chirped. "Just show up to the bash in Edward's room in three hours, dressed in comfy clothes."

With that she spun and danced off.

After I finished eating, Edward and I drove out to the meadow, taking along an enormous abandoned comforter he'd dug out of a closet. We spent blissful hours, claiming each other as husband and wife, amongst the wildflowers. We both had so many emotions boiling inside us. It comforted me to know that our relationship, our marriage, remained a solid rock to stand on.

I was feeling very happy and resigned, having spent the car ride home mentally resigning myself to whatever Alice had in store. When I walked into Edward's room for Alice's bonding bash, I giggled, finding myself surrounded by pink feminine decorations and twinkle lights. They looked so out of place to me in the space I associated with my masculine husband.

Out of Alice's parties, this one pleasantly turned out to be one of the best. She had all of us sit in a circle on beanbags. Once I got settled, she passed me a plate of chocolates and cakes, along with a wineglass containing what she assured me was grape juice. Rosalie came over to give me a massage, while Alice made me a small welcome-officially-to-the-family speech. Then the three of them went around and each shared pieces of advice about wifehood and marriage, which was interesting to hear. Alice transitioned us smoothly into writing Mad Libs, and the four of us were raving and snuggling up together in no time. We continued on to play Loaded Questions, Charades, and Catch Phrase, before Alice finally put on a hilarious chick flick which had me cracking up. When the credits rolled, we exchanged warm goodnight hugs, and feeling very tired I crawled into bed. I was surprised to find a number of book shaped packages wrapped in different shades of pink paper, along with one package which was smaller and flexible, hidden under the covers. I pulled the comforter all the way off, and spotted a pink envelope, which I snatched and opened. The note was written on a heavy cream colored card.

 **Some gifts from the three of us for the new bride. Enjoy! Alice, Esme and Rose**

Bemused, I unwrapped the books, which turned out to be on topics ranging from spousal psychology to home care to lovemaking. I was mortified when I found the flexible package to be a second black lace lingerie piece, identical to the one that had been demolished on Isle Esme. Had Alice had a vision seeing that we would need a new one? Blushing furiously, I tucked the gifts under the bed, and pulling the comforter back on, snuggled onto the mattress.

After several minutes, Edward curled up beside me, and I drifted to sleep, honored to have joined the best family a girl could wish for.

In my dream I was walking outside the house, near the river's edge, when I heard a voice.

"Mommy!"

I spun around, and found the child standing there, the green eyed one I'd protected from the Volturi while I was dreaming on Isle Esme. But this time seeing him was different. He didn't have to call me mommy for me to know now that he was my child...Edward's child.

As I stared at him in awed wonder, his face lit up into a brilliant smile, and he ran up to me, wrapping his arms around my legs. Dazed and overcome with emotion, I knelt down to wrap him in a proper hug. He looked up at at me, continuing to smile, as tears ran down my cheeks. I tried to smile back.

"I love you too mommy!" he told me sweetly.

My eyes shot open, and I stopped breathing as my gaze fell on the darkened ceiling of Edward's bedroom.

"Bella?" Edward asked anxiously, leaning over me, and pressing a hand to my abdomen.

I looked at him, and slowly, my face melted from shocked awe to joyful wonder. I grabbed his hand, and got out of bed, pulling him towards me as tears streaked my face. I ran downstairs, and was surrounded by concerned looking family members.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Carlisle asked urgently, surely seeing my tears.

"Nothing, I just had the most amazing dream…", I assured him, continuing to run outside to the spot where the boy had hugged me, and knelt down on the grass, pressing both hands to my stomach, just continuing to smile like I was insane.

Edward knelt down next to me, holding my hand tightly, though not so much that it hurt me. He waited patiently for an explanation. Finally, I turned to address his mystified face.

"I was dreaming, and I was walking here. Someone called 'mommy'. I turned around, and there was an adorable little boy. He had your eyes...green, and blonde hair and the most precious face. He smiled, and he ran towards me, and I hugged him. And he said, 'I love you too, mommy'." My voice cracked with emotion on the last line, and I pulled Edward into a hug as well, throwing my arms around his neck, squealing estatically. He held me there, silently, kissing my hair, apparently at a loss for words. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked to see Rosalie.

"Congratulations mommy," she said sweetly. Beside me, I heard Edward growl.


	6. Chapter 6

I rolled over onto my side, curling up in the fetal position under my blankets. I strained my neck and saw that the clock read 2:14 AM before sinking down onto the pillow. I sighed as I went over things in my thoughts yet again.

It'd been five days since we'd arrived home, and the baby isn't the only one who's been changing. As Carlisle predicted, once I started the steroids, my vomiting had gotten so much worse. Yesterday, I couldn't keep anything down at lunch, to Carlisle and Edward's extreme distress. My energy levels have plummeted, in large part assuredly because the tests confirmed the baby has been drinking my blood. Carlisle has me on a special diet and numerous supplements, but nothing seems to make a dramatic difference. I always feel faint, necessitating frequent naps throughout the day.

The baby's movements have growing increasingly stronger. Somehow, this doesn't scare me. Feeling him move is a precious treasure to me, as it is to Rose and Esme, and so far, it doesn't hurt. Even Emmett asked to feel the little guy on one occasion, putting on this huge grin when he felt him kick. I smiled at the memory. I mused how if this was a normal pregnancy, I'd be feeling sick and tired, but I would be able to afford attention to more innocent worries, like the possibilities of Emmett's unclely influence on my baby.

In reality my biggest concern was Edward. At first when he learned how much I loved the baby, he acted much like his old self. He supported me, nurtured me, as he tried to sway my decision. He tried to convince me that abortion was a difficult choice, but one we should make and come to terms with together, for my safety and his sanity.

He tried in vain. Between throwing up and sleeping, I spent my time continuing to bond with the baby. It had only been days, yet amidst browsing baby clothes with Alice, discussing nursery decor with Esme, seriously debating names with Rosalie and gushing over online prenatal images as I felt the baby move, the idea of abortion quickly became an impossibility for me to fathom. The dreams which continued about my little guy only made him more beloved.

Throughout all of this, I observed Edward change. First, he became more distant. Then he became quieter. He began to sit with me less often, last night even leaving Rosalie to help me get ready for bed as he remained talking with Carlisle in his study. When he was with me, he was hurting, reserved-that much was tangible. I found myself completely unable to console him without hurting the baby. It was an awful development. I yearned for the support Edward had always offered me without a request. Yet Rosalie was filling his place. It was nice to have gained a new friend, to mend old wounds so thoroughly, but she wasn't my husband and never could be. I frowned into the darkness, feeling wetness pool in my eyes. I wiped them away quickly, brushing away the doubts. Of course Edward still loved me. He was scared. Stressed. Hurting. His behavior was to be expected.

I closed my eyes, hoping to drift back to sleep. Then I felt it.

I startled and gasped, propping myself up with one hand, my other hand grasping my stomach. Shooting pain registered in my abdomen. Carlisle and Rosalie were standing around me in an instant, Edward coming next to me, supporting me with his arms so I could relax against him. My eyes widened as it happened again, my mouth forming an 'O', my eyes widening in shock.

"Bella, what are you feeling?" Carlisle asked with calm urgency.

"The baby just...just kicked really hard. It startled me."

Edward froze, before laying down with me on the bed. Carlisle left for an instant, coming back with the heat lamp. Having set it up over me, he pulled back the blankets, and lifted my shirt up, exposing my round stomach. I tensed as baby kicked again in the same spot. It was beginning to really hurt now.

Pain was clearly audible in Carlisle's voice.

"Bella. You're bruised."

 _ **A Quick Author's Note: I'm sorry this is such a short chapter, after so long since my last update. I've been struggling with writer's block, so far unable to clearly picture what happens next in the story-line. While I hammer things out, feel free to send me suggestions for what happens next and I hope you enjoy this tidbit. Thank you to everyone who's read, followed, favorited or given me feedback on this story. Love you readers! -Bryn**_


	7. Chapter 7

"Carlisle, we need to operate _now_ before this gets any worse." Edward's voice was a soft, broken murmur.

"You're not operating unless Bella wants you to," Rosalie countered, stepping between Edward and I with her arms crossed.  
I gasped as the baby kicked.

A terrifying growl came from Edward's lips and he snarled, his expression putting the angriest, most ferocious of lions to shame. Rosalie hissed , crouching defensively, and in a blur, Emmett came to stand in front of Rose, shoving Edward back, throwing him to the floor. Edward stood up fluidly, laughing bitterly.

Jasper stood between Emmet and Edward, motioning with his hands for them to desist. I felt his calming presence fill the room.

"Easy." His commanding southern voice clearly communicated violence was not an option, and I saw a glimpse of the Texas Calvary Major he once was.

Edward smiled, shaking his head, before looking Emmet in the eye, his expression instantly furious.

"You push me away from your mate when I growl at her, while your wife is trying to...trying to..." Words failed him, and he collapsed, heaving dry sobs, rocking on the floor, arms wrapped around his knees.

Emmet and Rose relaxed their stances, looking grim, as Alice ran to kneel next to her brother, whispering something in his ear, and Esme joined her, rubbing Edward's back, kissing his hair.

My chest ached like someone had punched me, and I gasped a breath, realizing I had been holding it. Hot tears ran down my cheeks and I squeezed my eyes shut. Then Alice, Esme and Edward were gone. Emmett turned toward Rose, putting his hands on her shoulders, meeting her gaze.

"Babe..."

"This doesn't change anything," Rosalie insisted uncompromisingly.

"Rose-"

"I know Edward's hurting. We're all hurting. But his pain doesn't make it okay to end his child's life."

With that declaration, she laid down on the bed next to me, pulling me into an embrace.

"He'll be alright Bella," she murmured, as I started to sob.

Emmett rested his hand on Rosalie's thigh.

"I know you're trying to save the baby. I get that. But Rosey, you _have_ to look at the whole picture here." Emmett put his hands up to stop Rose from retorting.

"Just listen Rosey. The baby's life isn't the only one on the line here. I know you want this baby to survive more than anything in the world. But to try to manipulate your dream into reality would be wrong. It's not our pregnancy, and your siblings' lives aren't pawns in a chess game. Think about what you're doing, and then do what you believe is right."

I felt Rose nod sharply, and watched Emmett walk out of the room.

Carlisle followed Emmett, and came back moments later with a towel, an ice pack and a tray of food. I noticed the Tylenol bottle next to the ice water. Setting the tray down on a nearby table, he then lay the towel on my abdomen, and the ice pack over it, moving Rose's hand to hold the ice so it wouldn't slide out of place.

"Is there anything else I can get you Bella?" he asked, sounding detached.

I shook my head, and was overcome with sympathy for what he must be feeling, seeing his children so torn apart.

"Thank you Carlisle. You're the world's best father-in-law. And I'm sorry for the turmoil I've caused the family."

Carlisle squeezed my shoulder, and bent down to kiss my forehead.

"I'll be in my office," he promised quietly, before leaving, and shutting the door softly behind him.

Rosalie tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Sleep Bella. Everything will work out. All will be well."

I whimpered as baby kicked once more.


	8. Chapter 8

A clearing lay out in front of me, the forest line visible up ahead, and I felt the rock of the cliff face pressed to my back as I sat leaning against it. I recognized the place immediately. This was the clearing Edward, Seth and I had encountered Victoria and Riley in months ago.

I turned my head sharply to the left at the sound of a growl. I watched Sam creep snarling towards something obscured in the trees, teeth bared, hackles raised, his black fur bristling. I stood up shakily, focusing intently on the spot Sam was so fixated on. Very tentatively, the green eyed little boy who I had become so familiar with shuffled cautiously into view, making his way towards me. He looked at me as he moved forward, stealing glances as Sam in unison with the loudest growls. It pierced my heart to see his face was a mask of fear and uncertainty.

Something streaked past me in a blur to my right and I realized it was Edward as I watched him materialize in a defensive stance before me, blocking the child's path. Edward's fierce hiss blended with Sam's growls to form a terrifying chorus and the child stumbled backwards in fright, tripping, and running to take cover behind the nearest tree trunk. His eyes became huge, as he peeked around the pine to peer at us. Sam stalked closer, licking his teeth, his rumbling growls reverberating off the trees.

"Don't!" I shouted, futilely attempting to push past Edward's outstretched arm and shield the vulnerable child. My eyes frantically met those of the boy. When my gaze came back to Edward, I saw Rosalie was suddenly standing in front of him, slightly to his right. She grabbed the arm blocking my path and twisted it back, allowing me to pass.

I sprinted towards the boy and knelt down in front of him, taking his cold, little hands into mine with sympathy and awe.

"I'm not going to let the wolf hurt you."

He gave me a small smile, and nodded. Then he frowned, tilting his head to the side, studying me, looking unsure.

"Mommy I'm thirsty," he whispered with big, pleading eyes in a precious whisper. "No one else can feed me-only you."

I frowned, looking into those emerald eyes with sympathy, yet deliberation. Thirsty? I glanced down at my chest. No, that couldn't be what he meant. A prominent blue vein on my wrist caught my eye. Ah. That was what he craved. I bit my lip and as my head dropped lower in grave acceptance. My gaze fell upon a jagged rock sticking out from under my right boot. Picking it up, I found it to be identical to the rock I had used to distract Victoria. My fate sealed, I sliced my arm and offered the wound to the child. He brought his lips to it and began to drink deeply. Vaguely, the thought flickered into my mind that I was dying as the world began to look hazy.

"Bella?"

I looked up from the drinking child at the sound of Carlisle's voice. Rosalie, Carlisle and Edward were standing there three feet in front of me, Rosalie in front, Edward and Carlisle standing side by side behind her. Carlisle walked forwards, inciting much hissing from Rosalie, and he knelt down directly behind the child, placing his hands on either side of the child's skull.

"I need your permission to terminate. It will be painless and instantaneous. It is the only way to save your life. Your body cannot continue to sustain the child's this way."

I stayed frozen in horror, unable to say a word. The world was starting to sway. Edward's hands gripped my shoulders and squeezed gently.

"Your permission Bella." he murmured urgently. "Now sweetheart."

The child turned his head so that his eyes met mine as he drank. His gaze paralyzed me. I couldn't think, couldn't say a word.

Then I was staring at the ceiling, Edward gently shaking my shoulders as I lay on the King matress in his bedroom.

"It was only a dream," he whispered soothingly, kissing my forehead and massaging my shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me into his arms, stroking my hair. After a few moments we shifted, laying down on the bed facing one another. He softly dabbed under my eyes. I was quite startled to realize he was wiping away moisture there. I nestled close to him, savoring the proximity as I thought about what I'd dreamt.

The image of the child's pleading gaze was seared into my mind. Two impossible choices...in the dream and in my reality. None of my options would leave everyone I loved unscathed. I hadn't given Carlisle permission in the dream. Was there a significance in that?

I sighed, getting as close as I could to Edward, putting aside my dream and attempting to calm my racing heart. Edward's hand found mine and our fingers intertwined.

That small, wordless gesture reminded me of the great gift we shared together, the bond of our love so very tangible to me. It was undeniably real, impossible to ignore, a crashing wave on the rocky shore, washing over us repeatedly, soaking into the core of our very being. Our love was not futile or immature. Alas, it was a vibrant force, as glorious as the sunrise, strong as titanium, sealed in our marital bond, sustained over time, perfected through struggles. In the depths of my soul I believed that our love would endure, survive as it had so many times before against adversaries, hostile circumstances, even Death Himself. How could I have lived through everything I did and not come to that conclusion? How and why our love had thrived I couldn't comprehend. Yet I believed in our love, and I held that belief in my thoughts, treasuring it in my heart, while nestled in the blissful haven of Edward's embrace.

As I treasured our love, I had an epiphany. I wasn't choosing between Edward and Little Nudger. Our Little Nudger was quite literally the incarnation of my love for Edward and his love for me. Not only was the child precious, defenseless and innocent-worthy of nurturing in his own right-but this child's life was intertwined with the ironclad bond I had forged with my husband. To harm the child would be to harm the bond, harm Edward, harm me. On some fundamental level it seemed our destinies were tied together-and why shouldn't they be? We were a family after all-father mother, child. And in that instant I made my final choice. I knew what I had to do, the only choice I could live with.

"I choose love," I whispered. I looked into Edward's face and his eyebrows furrowed in miscomprehension.

"What sweetheart?"

"I choose love." The declaration was fervent and rang with finality. "I know it's complicated and I know it's daunting, but I know what I can live with and what my heart is telling me. I choose to love..."-I moved my hand to gently caress Edward's face-"you"-my hand dropped to my abdomen-"and you."

I looked back into his hurting eyes.

"Whatever pain my loving our child might cause the rest of our family I am deeply sorry. I don't want to see any of you get hurt. Yet for me there isn't any other way. And I believe we will get through this-all of us. We will all get through this. I'll be beating Emmet at arm wrestling matches before you know it. And maybe Alice's fashion vision will shift away from me when she has a baby to dress. Rose and Esme will have a real baby to mother...Don't let the fear cause you to lose sight of the beauty here. Edward, you're a father, and this baby is our little miracle."

Edward sighed deeply, shaking his head. He looked at me with a lost expression for several moments before kissing my forehead again, his lips lingering against my skin.

"I'm not going to stop fighting for you Bella. Love, you are my whole existence. All that I am is yours. If the ship you're on is sinking, and I can't stop it, and I can't get you off it, I'm going down with you."

"We aren't going down. Neither one of us. I won't allow it."

Edward chuckled.

"Bella, if willpower is what kept hearts beating, I won't be worried. But we both know that's not how it works sweetheart."

"Just watch me."

"Always."

His lips found mine, and I sank into the depths of my personal paradise, everything forgotten but our passion and affection for one another.

 **This concludes _The Untold Chapters of Breaking Dawn_. I hope you enjoyed! The storyline continues with Chapter 8 of _Breaking Dawn_ by Stephenie Meyer. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following!**


End file.
